Nusa Dua, Bali (Antaranews Babel)- Vice President M Jusuf Kalla is scheduled to officially open the 2018 Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) being held in Nusa Dua Convention Center on April 10-11.
Kalla would be flanked by Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, and Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, Daniel Simanjuntak, African Affairs Director of the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister, said here, Tuesday.
Retno Marsudi will be a panelist in a session on "Economic Diplomacy Exploring Innovative Ways to Strengthen Partnership".
The Forum is participated by representatives from 46 African countries.
Among those present in the meeting are the foreign affairs ministers of Niger, Madagascar, and Cameron, the Senegalese railway affairs minister, the Mozambican trade and industry minister, the Nigerian mining minister, the Niger trade minister, the Gabon agriculture minister, the trade minister of Lesotho, a special envoy of the Algerian president, the deputy trade minister of Mauritania, and the deputy foreign minister of Morocco.
Indonesia's ministers and other high ranking officials participating in the Forum include Coordinating Minister Pandjaitan, Minister Retno Marsudi, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, Communication and Informatics Minister Rudiantara, Minister Lukita, the transportation minister, the minister of national development planning, the head of the investment coordinating board (BKPM), and the head of the creative economic agency (Befraf).
The first IAF ever held by the Indonesia Government is expected to lay a platform for concrete economic cooperation between Indonesia and African countries.
Indonesia which has had sound diplomatic relations with African countries, intends to strengthen economic ties with African nations.
The 2018 IAF is expected to yield breakthroughs that could lead to signing of several business agreements.
The IAF is in line with President Joko Widodo's call for the country to immediately enter non-traditional markets, especially Africa.
